What is Beet Pulp and Why Would I Feed It?
Beet pulp is the by-product of sugar extraction from sugar beets. It is typically shredded and dried, and sold in 40 lb bags. It is also found as a component of many pelleted feeds, such as Purina Equine Senior. Some beet pulp may have molasses added back to it to increase palatability and reduce dust. Beet pulp is an excellent feed for horses. It is classified by most nutritionists as a forage, meaning it has a high fiber content and can be used to replace up to 50% of your horses normal daily hay ration. It does, however, have some attributes of a concentrate, or grain-type, feed. It is about 40% more calorie dense than typical grass hay. It is often thought that beet pulp must be fed wet to prevent the horses stomach from rupturing when dry beet pulp expands with water in the stomach. This is NOT true! Stretch receptors in the stomach sense when the stomach is nearing capacity and triggers emptying of the stomachs contents into the small intestine. Unless your horse has an intestina
